"Ninety-seven percent of scientists say global warming is mainly man-made but a wide public belief that experts are divided is making it harder to gain support for policies to curb climate change, an international study showed on Thursday."

"The report found an overwhelming view among scientists that human activity, led by the use of fossil fuels, was the main cause of rising temperatures in recent decades.

'There is a strong scientific agreement about the cause of climate change, despite public perceptions to the contrary,' said John Cook of the University of Queensland in Australia, who led the study in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

'There is a gaping chasm between the actual consensus and the public perception,' he said in a statement. 'When people understand that scientists agree on global warming, they're more likely to support policies that take action on it.'"